Rug-cleansing mechanism



,Juhe24, 1930. c. A. SMITH. SR 1,767,558

RUG CLEANSING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 29, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT'EIR RTTEIRNE Patented June 24, 11 930 I.;' CARLOS A. SMITH, SR, 0s BnLLiimE, 0310 This invention relates broadly to carpet cleansing mechanisms, and more specifically to an apparatus forremoving cleansing fluid from carpets and rugs which have been scrubbed. i

The primary object oftthe invention is to provide a scrubbing machine for floor "coverings having embodied therein adjacent to the scrubbing rolls mechanism where- 5 by the nap of the covering is raised and, much of the cleansing Water, chemicals, or other material emat the same time,

? bing apparatus" disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,668,255, dated May 1 1928.

In describing the invention indetail, reference is herein had tothe accompanying drawings, i-nWhich- Figure l is a top plan view ofa portion" of a rug scrubbing apparatus, showing my invention applied thereto; p Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation, thesection being taken on line 3- 3, Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged View, partiallyin top plan and partially in section, of one of the fluid removal" units; f i t Figure 5 is a sectional ,elevation,' the section beingtaken on line 5-5, Fig. 1; and- Figure 6is a sectional elevationof a structural detail, the section being taken on line 66, Fig'. 1.. p a Referring to said drawings, 1 designates the side members of the'frame ofa scrubbing apparatus of the character disclosed in my Patent N 0. 1,668,255,. hereinbefore re ferred to, said .memhers being carried on.

Application filed August 29, 1928.. Serial No. 302,731.

cog wheels 2 arranged for travel along trackways 3 embodying gear-rack teeth 4'. Mounted on the frame 1 in a position located rearwardly ofthe'scrub'hingrolls, or

cylindrical brushes 5, is a vertically elevatable frame comprising side members 6. In-

terposed between said side members adjacent 1 toone endlof the latter are transverselydis posed bars or rods 7' upon which are slidably supported upright hanger-like supports 8*hav1'n'g attached thereto, or formed in? tegrally' therewith, a fluid removal unit designated generally. by the reference number 9. Said unit comprises a-castmetal housing which has formed'therei-n a plurality. of

parallel transversely disposed bores, chamhers, or compartments 10 of substantially cylindrical form,

3, and having closed ends 11." Journaled in the'ends ll of said housingare the ends of a plurality of propellers 121 of'spira-l, or

screw, form, one such propeller being' 'more or less cl'oselyjfitted for rotation within each of the compartments 150 and" havingthe under side of 'its spiral blade projecting outwardthrough theopen under side of the compartment for engaging a carpet-or rug which is being cleansed.

Said propellers protrudesucha distance that, in the completelyflowered position of the unit, the blades thereof penetrate the nap to, orsubstantiallyfto, the woven body of the rug."

is supplied adjacent to the innerjends of the latter, from a distributor pipe 13 to which it is conducted in any suitable manner, as by a flexible hose ('not'sho-wn) attached-to a nipple '14. This rinsing-fluid, together with the scrubbing fluid employed in connectionwith the scrubbing rolls 5 and which remains" following passage of said scrubbing rolls, is propelled 1 by the. propellers in an outward direction, said propellers serving to squeeze and force from the'rug surface a very large percentage of. the fluid: and collected, dirt andto convey'the'same from-the rug. This fluid is:

WV ter or other cleansing or rinsing fluid through the top of the housing. 9 to the various compartments 10 at points said compartments being open in their under sides,1as' shown 1n Flg.

discharged outwardly through pipes 15 to a therewith communicating discharge pipe 16, from the outlet end or nipple 17 of which may lead a flexible drain tube (not shown).

While the unit 9 hereinbefore described may be made of any appropriate length, such length. being measured transversely with respect to the length of the scrubbing machine, it is preferred that its length be materially less than the width of the machine, or approximately one-half said width, in which case the unit is complemented by a second unit 18 which is preferably located in a position rearward ofthe unit 9 and laterally with respect to the latter. Said unit 18 is stationarily mounted, being carried in underslung relation to transversely disposed beams 19 which have their ends rigidly mounted upon the side members 6 of the elevatable frame.

The structure of the unit 18 corresponds in the main. withthat of the unit 9, embodying a housing with compartments in which operate spiral propellers. Vater or rinsing fluid is supplied to said compartments through a distributor pipe 13 and is dis-I charged to and through a pipe .16.

As hereinbefore stated, the unit 18 is stationarily mounted on the beams 19 fixed to the frame members 6, and the unit 9 is slidably carried by rods 7 having their ends mounted on said frame members. An adjusting screw or worm shaft 20 is journaled adjacent to its opposite ends in said frame members'and is so engaged with the supports 8 that rotation thereof, effected through the agency of a hand wheel21 carried on an end thereof, causes said supports and the thereby carried unit 9 to shift laterally, the purpose being to adjust the unit to the extent required for accommodating the fluid removalunits to varying widths of rugs. 1

The propellers of the stationaryunit 18 carry on their inner ends sprocket wheels 22 driven by suitably arranged sprocket chains 23 and 24, the latter being driven from a sprocket wheel 25 fixed on a shaft 27 journaled on the frame 'members 6. Fixed on the inner side member 8 is a sleeve 26 which is slidable along the shaft 27 in shifting movements of the unit 9, and carried by said sleeve is a sprocket wheel connected by a sprocket chain 45 to a similar sprocket wheel carried on the end of one of the propellers 12, which latter drives the remaining propellers 12 through the intermediacy of a sprocket chain 46 operatively associated with sprocket .wheels carried by the ends-of said propellers. Said shaft 27 carries on its outer end a gear wheel 28.

In elevating and lowering movements of the structure, wherein the latter is moved, respectively, out of and into operative relation to a rug to be cleansed, said gear Wheel 28 is moved out of and into mesh with a gear wheel 29 carried by a shaft 30 which is connected, as by adrive belt 31 to a motor driven shaft, as 32,-of the machine. Said sleeve 26 is non-rotatable with respect to the shaft, being engaged with a longitudinal channel 33 provided in the latter. Thus, as is apparent, shifting of the unit 9 is effected by rotation of the worm shaft 20, said unit traveling along the supporting rods 7 and without changing the driving relations of the various sprocket wheels and chains.

A transverse rod 39 has fixed on each of its opposite ends a cam or eccentric 40 which rests on the adjacent side member 1 of the machine, and it carries on one end thereof a hand lever a4. whereby rotary movements may be imparted, thereto for effecting elevating and lowering movements of the frame which includes the end members 6. Each of said cams occupies underlying relation to the middle portion of the adjacent member 6 so that, in one position thereof, said members are lowered to the extent that the units 9 and 18 occupytheir operative position, and in another position of said cams, asshown in dotted lines in' Fig. .5, said members are elevatedfor. withdrawing said units to inoperative positions.

Trunnions ll carried by each of theframe members Gare vertically movable in guide slots d2 provided therefor in brackets 43 which are mounted on the side members 1 of the scrubbing machine.

hat is claimed isj 1. In a ma chine, of the character described, a base, a fluidremoval device comprising an elevatable support slidably mounted on said base, a plurality of spaced independent housings carried by said support, one of said housings being shiftable laterally of the machine, each of said housings being providedwith a plurality of cylindrical compartments having their under sides open throughout the lengths thereof, a screw propeller journaled for rotation in each of said compartments and having the blade thereof protruding through the under-side opening for engaging the surface of an underlying rug, means for rotating said propellers, and means for conducting from said chambers fluid collected by said propellers.

2, A machine of the character described comprising a base, a vertically movable frame on said base, a housing carried by said frame formed to provide a cylindrical chamber having an open bottom, a screw propeller journalled in said chamber and having a portion thereof extending through the open bottom of the chamber for engaging the nap of a rug, and means for rotating said propeller, thereby to remove collected fluid from the rug and to raise the nap.

3. A machine of the character described, comprising a base, a movable frame on said base, a pair of spacedindependent housings carried by said frame each being formed to provide a cylindrical chamber having an open bottom, a screw propeller journalled in each of said chambers and having a portion thereof the open bottoms of the chambers for engaging the nap of a rug, means for rotating said means for raising the frame and housings out of engagement with the rug. i

f. A machine of the character described, comprising a base, a vertically movable frame on said base, a housing carried by said frame formed to provide a cylindrical chamber having an open bottom, a second housing carried by said frame formed to provide a cylindrical chamber having an open bottom, a screw propeller in each of said chambers having a portion extending through said open bottoms for engaging the nap of a rug, means for housings laterally of the frame relative to the other of said housings, 'andmeans for rotating said propellers.

5. A machine of the character described, comprising a base, a horizontally and V81: tically movable frame on said base, a housing secured a chamber having an open bottom, a rotatable cleaning member in said chamber hav ing a portion extending through the open bottom for engaging a rug, a second housing slidablymounted upon said frame'and formed to provide a chamber having an open bottom, a rotatable cleaning member in said housing having a portion extending through the open bottom for engaging a rug, means for driving said cleaning members, means for elevating the frame and housings and means for shifting the last named housing transversely of said frame and relative to the other of said housings whereby rugs of varying widths may be cleaned.

1n testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

CARLOS A. SMITH, SR.

extending through propellers thereby to remove collected fluid from the rug and toraise the nap, and

shifting one of said to said frame formed to provide I 

